DETAILED ACTION
This is the first Office Action regarding application number 18/894,128, filed on 09/24/2024, which claims foreign priority to EP 23199516.8, filed on 09/25/2023.
This action is in response to the Applicant’s Response received 12/01/2025.
Election of Restricted Inventions
The Applicant’s election of Species A1 (claims 1-4 and 6-15) in the reply is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground that both species are based on the same features of claim 1. This is not found persuasive because the species recite mutually exclusive characteristics: species A1 requires a gap while species A2 requires an overlap between foils. No evidence is provided other than speculation that prior art would be expected to describe both species together, without require different search queries and strategies.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
Status of Claims
Claims 1-15 are pending.
Claim 5 is withdrawn.
Claims 1-4 and 6-15 are examined.
No claim is allowed.
Claim Objections
Claims 8-11 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claim 8 requires unrolling a first roll of electrically insulating material in a second direction y substantially orthogonal to the first direction x. The prior art references reviewed by this examiner only teach or suggest unrolling electrically insulating material in a direction parallel to the first direction. Claims 9-12 depend on claim 8, and are similarly clear of the prior art.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
Indefiniteness
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(B) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
Claims 12 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112 as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor, or for pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
Claim 12 recites “The method…according to any of claims 10, further…”. The examiner notes that the grammatical error creates confusion to the claim scope, since it is possible the claim could depend on some claim other than claim 10. The applicant must clarify this claim introduction so that the metes and bounds are certain.
Claim 15 employs unusual and confusion claim dependency that renders the claim indefinite. Claim 15 recites “a first assembly using a method according to claim 14”, but then also re-introduces many components that were already first introduced in claim 14, such as “a plurality of first metal contacts” where claim 14 already recited “at least one first metal contact”. Thus, the examiner and ordinary readers are unable to determine exactly how many first metal contacts, second metal contacts, etc. must be present, and whether these similar recitations all refer to the initially recited components.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-4, 6, and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by CORNEILLE (US 2017/0373204 A1).
Regarding claim 1, CORNEILLE teaches an assembly for electrically contacting and electrically connecting photovoltaic cells, the assembly comprising:
a first part comprising a first electrically insulating foil (24);
a second part comprising a second electrically insulating foil (26),
wherein the first electrically insulating foil and the second electrically insulating foil are arranged relative to each other in respective positions that are laterally shifted in a first direction x (see wires organized in direction “cd” in Fig. 2A); and
a plurality of electrically conductive wires arranged substantially parallel to each other in a wire direction w, and substantially extending over the first electrically insulating foil and over the second electrically insulating foil in the first direction x (see wires organized in direction “cd” in Fig. 2A),
wherein the plurality of electrically conductive wires is arranged on a first foil surface of the first electrically insulating foil and further on a second foil surface of the second electrically insulating foil, the first foil surface and the second foil surface being located at opposite sides of the assembly (see Fig. 2C, opposite sides on the solar cells),
wherein the plurality of electrically conductive wires is locally attached to the first electrically insulating foil and to the second electrically insulating foil at predetermined attachment locations without penetrating therethrough (see the zoomed in portion of Fig. 2C where the wires 24 are embedded within the insulating foils 22 without penetrating “therethrough”; “wire 24 and sheet 22 … attached together” para. 84; the “predetermined attachment locations” are throughout).
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Regarding claim 2, CORNEILLE teaches the assembly for electrically contacting and electrically connecting photovoltaic cells according to claim 1 wherein at least part of the plurality of electrically conductive wires is locally embedded in the first electrically insulating foil and/or in the second electrically insulating foil at predetermined bend locations (bending portions 24S and 24C connection portion; see the zoomed in portion of Fig. 2C where the wires 24 are embedded within the insulating foils 22 without penetrating “therethrough”; “wire 24 and sheet 22 … attached together” para. 84; the “predetermined attachment locations” are throughout).
Regarding claim 3, CORNEILLE teaches the assembly for electrically contacting and electrically connecting photovoltaic cells according to claim 1, wherein at least part of the predetermined attachment locations is shifted with respect to each other in the first direction x between respective electrically conductive wires (see Fig. 2B).
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Regarding claim 4, CORNEILLE teaches the assembly for electrically contacting and electrically connecting photovoltaic cells according to claim 1, wherein the first electrically insulating foil and the second electrically insulating foil are arranged next to each other, with a predetermined gap there in between in the first direction x (please see how 24 and 26 are arranged next to each other with a gap between solar cells).
Regarding claim 6, CORNEILLE teaches a method for fabricating an assembly for electrically contacting and electrically connecting photovoltaic cells, the method comprising:
providing a first electrically insulating foil (24);
providing a second electrically insulating foil (26);
arranging the first electrically insulating foil and the second electrically insulating foil relative to each other in respective positions that are laterally shifted in a first direction x (see wires organized in direction “cd” in Fig. 2A); and
providing a plurality of electrically conductive wires substantially parallel to each other in a wire direction w, such that the plurality of electrically conductive wires substantially extends over the first electrically insulating foil and over the second electrically insulating foil in the first direction x (see wires organized in direction “cd” in Fig. 2A),
wherein the plurality of electrically conductive wires is arranged over a first foil surface of the first electrically insulating foil and further over a second foil surface of the second electrically insulating foil, the first foil surface and the second foil surface being located at opposite sides of the assembly (see Fig. 2C, opposite sides on the solar cells), and
locally attaching the plurality of electrically conductive wires to the first electrically insulating foil and to the second electrically insulating foil at predetermined locations without penetrating therethrough (see the zoomed in portion of Fig. 2C where the wires 24 are embedded within the insulating foils 22 without penetrating “therethrough”; “wire 24 and sheet 22 … attached together” para. 84; the “predetermined attachment locations” are throughout).
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Regarding claim 13, CORNEILLE teaches the photovoltaic device comprising an assembly according to claim 1 (photovoltaic device is formed).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102 of this title, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
The factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 7, 14, and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CORNEILLE (US 2017/0373204 A1) in view of SHUFFLEBOTHAM (US 2012/0103383 A1).
Regarding claim 7, CORNEILLE teaches the method for fabricating an assembly for electrically contacting and electrically connecting photovoltaic cells according to claim 6, but does not disclose expressly that locally attaching the plurality of electrically conductive wires to the first electrically insulating foil and to the second electrically insulating foil comprises local heating of the plurality of electrically conductive wires at the predetermined locations.
SHUFFLEBOTHAM teaches a method for fabricating a solar panel where heat is applied to locally attach together interconnect wires to the associated insulating portions (pressing machine 80 is used to attach wires 60 with thermoplastic and electrode of solar cell, Figs. 7a-7c).
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Skilled artisans would have found it obvious to modify CORNEILLE and use a heat application process for attachment as taught by SHUFFLEBOTHAM because a pressing machine is a well-known tool used for attachment and is often employed with entirely expected and unsurprising results for solar panel manufacturing. MPEP 2143.
Regarding claim 14, CORNEILLE teaches a method for electrically connecting a first photovoltaic cell comprising a plurality of first metal contacts at a first cell surface to a second photovoltaic cell comprising a plurality of second metal contacts at a second cell surface by means of a first assembly according to claim 1, the method comprising (see rejection of claim 1 and 6 above; asserting that all method steps are taught by CORNEILLE):
providing the first assembly (Fig. 2C);
positioning the first photovoltaic cell on the first foil surface of the first electrically insulating foil of the first assembly, with at least one first metal contact of the first photovoltaic cell in physical contact with at least one electrically conductive wire of the first assembly (Fig. 2C);
positioning the second photovoltaic cell on the second foil surface of the second electrically insulating foil of the first assembly, with at least one second metal contact of the second photovoltaic cell in physical contact with at least one electrically conductive wire of the first assembly (Fig. 2C);
wherein at least one electrically conductive wire of the first assembly is a common wire, being in physical contact with both a first metal contact of the first photovoltaic cell and with a second metal contact of the second photovoltaic cell (Fig. 2C); and
establishing an electrical connection between the at least one first metal contact of the first photovoltaic cell and the at least one electrically conductive wire in physical contact therewith and establishing an electrical connection between the at least one second metal contact of the second photovoltaic cell and the at least one electrically conductive wire in physical contact therewith (Fig. 2C),
thereby establishing an electrical connection between the first photovoltaic cell and the second photovoltaic cell through the at least one common wire of the first assembly (Fig. 2C).
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CORNEILLE does not describe expressly performing a heating process.
SHUFFLEBOTHAM teaches a method for fabricating a solar panel where heat is applied to locally attach together interconnect wires to the associated insulating portions (pressing machine 80 is used to attach wires 60 with thermoplastic and electrode of solar cell, Figs. 7a-7c).
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Skilled artisans would have found it obvious to modify CORNEILLE and use a heat application process for attachment as taught by SHUFFLEBOTHAM because a pressing machine is a well-known tool used for attachment and is often employed with entirely expected and unsurprising results for solar panel manufacturing. MPEP 2143.
Regarding claim 15, modified CORNEILLE teaches a method for fabricating a photovoltaic device comprising a plurality of photovoltaic cells, the method comprising:
electrically connecting a first photovoltaic cell comprising a plurality of first metal contacts at a first cell surface to a second photovoltaic cell comprising a plurality of second metal contacts at a second cell surface by means of a first assembly using a method according to claim 14 (see rejection of claim 14 above),
wherein the second photovoltaic cell further comprises a plurality of first metal contacts at a first cell surface of the second photovoltaic cell; and electrically connecting the second photovoltaic cell to a third photovoltaic cell comprising a plurality of second metal contacts at a second cell surface by means of a second assembly (CORNEILLE, Fig. 2C illustrates how the multiple solar cells and respective surfaces are arranged and attached to produce a fully functional photovoltaic panel).
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Conclusion
No claim is allowed.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANGELO TRIVISONNO whose telephone number is (571) 272-5201 or by email at <angelo.trivisonno@uspto.gov>. The examiner can normally be reached on MONDAY-FRIDAY, 9:00a-5:00pm EST. The examiner's supervisor, NIKI BAKHTIARI, can be reached at (571) 272-3433.
/ANGELO TRIVISONNO/
Primary Examiner
Prosecution Insights